Dog Health Report: March 2007

Monday, March 26, 2007

Shocking Facts About Pet Food

"Television commercials and magazine advertisements for pet food would have us believe that the meats, grains, and fats used in these foods could grace our dining tables. Chicken, beef, lamb, whole grains, and quality fats are supposedly the composition of dog and cat food.

In my opinion, when we purchase these bags and cans of commercial food, we are in most cases purchasing garbage. Unequivocally, I cannot state that all pet food falls into this category, but I have yet to find one that I could, in all good conscience, feed my dog or cats.

Pet food labels can be deceiving. They only provide half the story. The other half of the story is hidden behind obscure ingredients listed on the labels. Bit by bit, over seven years, I have been able to unearth information about what is contained in most commercial pet food. At first I was shocked, but my shock turned to anger when I realized how little the consumer is told about the actual contents of the pet food."

Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food by Ann N. Martin

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Professional Dog Training - Online!

I've seen a really interesting dog training membership site which I'm trying out.

Adam Katz is a professional dog trainer, and one of the many resources in the membership site is an ebook called "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer" .

The site looks intriguing.

Once I've tested the methods more fully, I'll let you know what I think.

If you want to check it out in the meantime, you'll find it at http://www.Dog-Health-Care-Information.com/dogtraining

Labels: professional dog training

Is Your Dog Intelligent?

I found the following report on my travels through the internet. It's most probably old news, because hey, don't all we dog lovers know how intelligent our dogs are?!

Of course, our dogs know our routines like when we're due to leave the house, when they're likely to go for a walk, be fed, etc. But that's probably just habit. Many dogs, however, can tell the time.

When I was a child we had an adorable black toy poodle called Candy. My sisters and brother and I used to come home from school in two stages - the little ones at 3.15 p.m. and the older ones at around 4.00 p.m. And who do you think would trot outside at 3.10 p.m. and again at 3.55 p.m., and wait at the top of the driveway until we arrived and greeted her? Yes, that smart little dog who could obviously tell the time! I'm sure your dog can tell the time, too - it's only people who don't have dogs who don't believe this.

My dog Kara knows what a suitcase is, too. I don't think Jet has figured this one out yet (I usually only go away once a year), but Kara starts getting anxious the minute the suitcase comes down from the top of the wardrobe.

Anyway, now it's official - dogs are very intelligent!

Here's the news report:

Dogs May Be More Intelligent Than People May Think
Wed Jul 31, 3:48 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Dogs are probably much cleverer than most people think, according to a new study.

Slideshow: Dogs at Work and Play

Scientists are convinced that dogs can count and researchers at the University of California Davis say they try to convey different messages through the pitch and pace of their barks.
"Animal behaviorists used to think their bark was simply a way of getting attention. Now a new study suggests that individual dogs have specific barks with a range of meanings," New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday.

Dogs usually use high-pitched single barks when they are separated from their owners and a lower, harsher superbark when strangers approach or the doorbell rings, according to Sophia Yin, an animal behaviorist at the university.

Playful woofs are high-pitched and unevenly spaced.

Dogs also know when they are being short-changed on treats because they have a basic mathematical ability which enables them to tell when one pile of objects is bigger than another.
"But to count, an animal has to recognize that each object in a set corresponds to a single number and that the last number in a sequence represents the total number of objects," New Scientist added.

Robert Young of Brazil's Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, tested the theory on 11 mongrels using dog treats.

The canines were shown treats and then a screen was lowered and the goodies were left as they were or some were added or taken away.

If a treat was added or taken away the dogs looked at the treats much longer than they did when the goodies were not disturbed, presumably because they had done their sums and the numbers did not meet their expectations.

"Dogs are descended from wolves, which not only have a large neocortex -- the brain's center of reasoning -- but live in large social groups," the magazine said.

Young believes the mathematical ability could have been used to work out how many allies and enemies they had in a pack.

For more on intelligent dogs, and improving your dog's health, click here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com

Arthritis Care for Dogs

Does your dog mind taking tablets?

I don't know why it is, but medicines for both humans and our pets usually taste bitter or otherwise revolting. And dogs are notoriously suspicious when it comes to being asked to take tablets of any description.

And don't forget that your dog has an acute sense of smell!

It can be very difficult to persuade many dogs to swallow any medication, no matter how essential it is for your dog's health.

Your poor dog really doesn't understand that you're trying to make him better. No, he invariably views such medications with utter contempt.

My Rottweiler, Kara, is actually not too bad with tablets. Mostly I can easily prise her mouth open, drop the medication onto the back of her tongue, gently hold her mouth closed for a few seconds while stroking her throat area, and she'll generally swallow it without too much fuss. Or if it's a really nasty tasting one, a lump of peanut butter around the tablet will generally do the trick quite nicely.

But my Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Jet, is another matter entirely.

Fortunately Jet has been surprisingly illness-free during her 9 years. I can only hope this picture of health phenomenon will continue for the remainder of her days. Because on the odd occasion when I do need to have her swallow anything faintly resembling a tablet, oh my goodness, what a fuss.

I dread giving Jet tablets of any description. You'd think that she'd know by now that I wasn't trying to poison her. But she doesn't. She runs off and cowers in corner, slipping deftly away whenever I get close. And when I do catch her, and throw the tablet into her mouth you'd think Jet's life depended upon her making every conceivable attempt to spit the tablet out.

Peanut butter? Forget it - she just licks it all off and spits the tablet out. Tasty cheese? Same thing. Crushing it up and mixing it in with her raw meat/scrambled eggs/tinned tuna?

Not a chance. Up goes her nose and away she trots.

So the only option is to hold that mouth closed until the tablet disintegrates, because Jet is absolutely determined not to swallow. It can take several minutes of hanging on tight to her mouth and keeping it closed while I stroke her throat, and while she pushes her tongue out between the little gaps in her teeth over and over again making every possible attempt to disgorge the offending tablet, and when that fails, she simply froths at the mouth. And froths and froths and froths until I think she's almost going to suffocate. And when it's all over, she refuses to have anything to do with me (for at least 10 minutes until the terrible memory of it fades!)

I suppose I should count my lucky stars that one of my dogs is a pushover with the dreaded tablet taking scenario!

There is ONE type of tablet that my Jet LOVES to take, though - it's not a "tablet" kind of tablet - it's her delicious, chewable arthritis care tablet - Jet just loves them. She thinks they're treats! Jet hasn't actually shown any real signs of arthritis, but because she's getting on in years, I thought she'd benefit from some arthritis care as a preventative. Check out the ONLY tablet my Jet will take here! CLICK HERE.

Your Dog Wants You to Know This ...

Let me know if you have any comments, and don't forget about those dog stories - if you have a humorous, odd, or interesting story to tell about your dog, send it to me. I'll publish the best ones from time to time on this blog, or in the Healthy Happy Dogs ezine. Contact me at Brigitte@HealthyHappyDogs.com

And now, enjoy this wonderful article by Danielle Hollister. I love it. Hope you do too.

The Ten Things Your Dog Wants You To Know

by Danielle Hollister

If your dog could talk, these are some of most important things she would like to tell you...

1 - My life will probably only last 7 to 14 years. It will hurt me more than you know if I have to be away from you for longer than a day or two.

2 - If you have patience with me and give me time to learn what you would like from me, I can promise you, you will never be disappointed.

3 - Trust me with your life and have faith in our future together. If I don't feel that you honestly believe in me, I will suffer great emotional stress. My sense of self-worth is totally dependent upon your confidence in me.

4 - Don't stay mad at me for long or confine me to a cage to punish me. You have your friends, your job, and your recreation. I HAVE ONLY YOU!

5 - Talk to me about anything you want as frequently as possible. Even if I can't comprehend your precise words, I can understand the meaning of what you're telling me by the tone of your voice.

6 - Remember no matter how you treat me, I will NEVER forget it.

7 - When you consider raising your hand to hit me, remember I have teeth that could break the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.

8 - Before you scream at me for failing to respond to your commands as I usually do, take time to think about what might be wrong with me that would cause me to treat you differently. Maybe I haven't been eating right or drinking enough water. Or maybe my age is catching up with me and I just can't do what I used to do.

9 - Take good care of me when I get old. Someday you will be as old as me and you will see how it feels.

10 - Be there for me through good times and bad. Never say you can't handle taking me to the vets for stitches or surgery. Nothing could make me feel worse. Everything in my life is easier for me to deal with when I have you standing by my side. Remember my love for you is unconditional and it will last for your entire life.

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Danielle Hollister (2000)
Danielle Hollister is the Writing Host at BellaOnline http://www.bellaonline.com/career/writing.html
and Publisher of BellaOnline's Writing Zine http://www.egroups.com/group/bellaonlinewriting
to subscribe send email to: bellaonlinewriting-subscribe@egroups.com
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Well, what did you think? I first printed this article in my dog health newsletter 3 years ago, and have reprinted it from time to time since. I've had more comments about this article than any article I've ever printed!